Unintended Consequences
by shinobipopcorn
Summary: Sheik meets the Hero in the Temple of Time, and is shocked to discover that Link is a young woman. Link is equally stunned that her guide is such a handsome young man, and they quickly fall in love after the Deku Tree Sprout revelations. However, Link starts getting ill while clearing the temples, and when Sheik greets her after the Water Temple, he discovers the shocking cause...
1. Chapter 1

A/N: This is a twist on the story of Ocarina of Time. What if Link and (separate) Sheik's sexes were reversed, meaning that Link was a girl suddenly made into a woman, and Sheik was a man quite enamored with that woman? And what if lovestruck dorks do as they are wont to do, and discover the consequences of those actions? How does a young woman who doesn't know what's going on with her body react? How does a young man who DOES know what's going on react when he finds out? And what do they do to keep everything secret from the Demon King?

There will be one rather mature and detailed chapter as the plot necessitates it. ;) Aside from that, the rest of the story is about teen-older teen level.

* * *

Sheik leaned against the rear walls of the Temple of Time, listening to the moans of the creatures outside. Today was the seventh year to the day of when the hero pulled the Master Sword from the pedestal, and so if Impa's calculations were correct, he would be returning from the Sacred Realm at any moment. Princess Zelda was safely hidden away with his elder, so it was his duty to guide the hero in his quest to awaken the other sages. Sheik was as ready as he could be, now it was on Link.

A few hours later, a hum rang out through the air, and the sword chamber filled with a blue light. When the light dissipated, a figure in green stood in front of the Pedestal of Time, with a small blue fairy flitting around the room in excitement. "Link! We're back in the Temple of Time! But have seven years really passed?"

Sheik crept closer to the hero to make his introduction, but stopped short as Link heard him and turned around on alert. Link... Link was a girl. A _beautiful_ girl. Why hadn't Impa told him? Of course, Impa couldn't have known if Link would be attractive or not. In fact, Link's looks were rather plain. She was short, had a boyish body, and with that hat on, it was impossible to tell what kind of hair...

Oh. _Oh._ Sheik's train of thought went out the window, as Link nervously pulled her hat off and wrung it between her hands as she chewed on her bottom lip. The hat was hiding a ponytail of golden hair, just a tad shorter than Princess Zelda's. She had a blush on her cheeks, and her doe eyes were turned toward the ground. She may be plain, but then again he never needed much to be impressed.

"Um..." Sheik's pulse jumped; her voice was so angelic, he couldn't believe that she was the Goddesses' hero and not divine herself. "Are, are you the guide Rauru told me to look for?"

"...Yes!" Sheik had to shake himself out of his stupor. "Yes, I've been waiting for you, Hero of Time. I am Sheik, of the Sheikah. And if I may say so, it is a pleasure to meet you." He bowed, then got down to business. "Rauru told you about me, so I guess he told you of your quest?"

"Kind of. Something about sages and getting everyone together to seal evil." She scratched her head, then looked at the fairy. "I don't understand all of it."

"Well, it is a long process. You have to wake each of the five sages remaining in Hyrule," Sheik explained. "The first is in the Forest Temple, but you will need weapons before you can even enter..."

A loud thunk echoed through the room, and Sheik looked to the new pile at his feet. "Sword, bombs, slingshot, deku nuts, boomerang, and fire charm. That last one is handy for wood."

"Some of these are children's weapons, you can't use them anymore."

Link pouted. "Well, why not? I'm still small."

"Look at yourself, you're an adult," he pointed out. "You've... _matured_." Extremely. He remembered seeing the boy who snuck into the castle once, but then again he thought that was a _boy_. Standing in front of him was no boy, this was a woman. A deadly woman. An _extremely attractive_ deadly woman, who he would get to follow around for the next-

"...Fine." Link gathered up her 'adult' weapons, and pushed the childish ones into a pile in the corner. "So where do I get these 'adult' weapons at?"

Sheik had to resist staring at Link's figure as she shoved her gear into the corner. "Go to Kakariko Village. You'll find a tool there that will help you, then meet me at the entrance to the Forest Temple. I'll advise you from there." Sheik watched Link load up her stuff, then head for the exit. "Be careful, hero. The land is the same, but darkness has taken over. Never let your guard down." Now, if only he could listen to his own advice...

* * *

Link waited until she was safely outside of the Castle Town gates, before gushing to Navi. "Navi Navi NAVI! Did you see that back there?!"

The fairy bowed her head. "I don't think I'll forget that for as long as I live. The poor town..."

"Not that," Link grumbled. "I meant Sheik! He was gorgeous!"

"WHAT?"

"Those crimson eyes, dark skin, and the hair over one side of his face... Oh and the deep voice, and his muscled body... Not too big, but not too lean. And did you see how tight his clothes were? Especially down by-"

"HEY!" Navi flew in Link's face, her normally blue cheeks puffed up and red. "You have been seventeen for less than a DAY! You have no business thinking about boys like that! How do you even know what boys have, anyway?"

"Mido told me," Link shrugged. "Then Fado said if Mido was teasing me too much, all I had to do was kick him there and he would stop. Boys don't like it when you kick them there."

Navi gasped and shook her head. "Further proof that you're a seventeen year old with the mind of a ten year old. No thinking about boys for you. Go on, off to Kakariko Village!"

"Aww... Okay, to Kakariko."


	2. Chapter 2

When Sheik arrived at the Forest Temple, he was alarmed to see Link sitting on a tree stump outside, sobbing quite hard. He pulled down his cowl, and ran up to her to check if she was alright. "Link, what's wrong? Are you injured?"

Link threw herself around Sheik upon hearing his voice, and continued crying into his shoulder. "They... sniff... none of them recognized me! Not even with Navi there! And, and Mido, he told me to find Link and apologize to her. I was standing right in front of him, and he didn't realize it was me!"

Sheik rubbed Link's back to console her, then gently eased her back down to the ground. "It's been about thirty six hours since we saw each other last, and I didn't expect you to be here already. Have you slept at all?" She shook her head in the negative. "Well, we can't have a hero who falls from exhaustion midway through her first trial, can we?"

With Link in his lap, Sheik leaned back against the tree stump and pulled a blanket from his storage in shadowspace. "The Kokiri didn't recognize you, because they still think of Link as a child," he explained, wrapping Link and pulling her close. "I'm sure once you talk with the Sage of the Forest, all will be revealed."

"...Saria is the sage, isn't she?" Link sniffled, and curled tighter into the blanket. "I tried talking to her over the ocarina, and she said she's in there... But it's full of monsters."

"You'll be no help to her if you collapse from exhaustion the minute you step inside," Sheik admonished. "I want you to excel at your first challenge, not falter." He then pulled off Link's hat, and gently undid the tie holding her hair back. "Sleep," he urged, lightly massaging her scalp. "I'll be right here keeping watch."

Link was immediately calmed by Sheik's motions along her scalp, and leaned into his neck. She closed her eyes and inhaled his scent, earthy with a touch of water, reminding her of a shadowy cave. He was warm and caring, not at all like his mysterious appearance would lead one to believe. It didn't take her long to nod off, with thoughts of Sheik filling her mind.

* * *

Sheik hadn't intended to fall asleep himself, but next thing he realized, he was waking up from a pleasant dream about Link. And that's when he found himself tangled in an embrace with the hero, who had wormed her arms out of the blanket and latched onto him in her sleep. They were so close together that he could feel her breath on his cheek, and if he moved just a little bit, their lips would be touching.

Oh, how he longed to know what she tasted like... He imagined she would taste like sweetmint, not saccharine and pungent like the painted up tarts of Castle Town. Her scent was clean and crisp like the forest, and she had rosy skin that needed not a drop of makeup. Even when she got covered with the filth and blood of battle, she didn't lose her charm.

Mind acting on its own, Sheik reached a hand up and brushed a strand of hair away from Link's face. She shifted in response, and soon her blue eyes fluttered open. Link took note of the closeness between the two, and after a moment of thought, leaned in and pressed her lips to Sheik's.

Sheik reciprocated and held Link close as they deepened the kiss, parting when the two could hardly breathe. "Mm, that's a nice way to wake up. Feeling better?"

Link blushed. "Yeah, sorry... You were right there, and I was having a nice dream, and I've never kissed anyone before..." Her ramblings were shushed by another kiss.

"I could do this all day, but sadly, there is work to be done." Sheik smiled at Link's blissed out expression as they parted, and helped tie back her hair. "All rested up?"

"Uh huh." Goddesses, she liked the sound of his voice. She agreed, she had to get out of his lap because the longer he held her, the harder she was going to fall. "I got that thing you said to get in the village."

"That's excellent. I have something to show you before you head in." Sheik helped Link out of the blanket cocoon, then pointed to the large stone slab in the middle of the clearing. "That marker serves as an anchor point for the magic of a melody I am about to teach you, one that will bring you back here no matter where you are in Hyrule. Should you find that you are not yet ready for the temple, you can leave to train and use this song to return."

Sheik produced his lyre, and played the notes for the Minuet of Forest. Link played along on the Ocarina of Time, matching him perfectly. After a little lesson on how to use the hookshot, Link entered the Forest Temple and Sheik departed for the Temple of Time, both of them with smiles on their faces.

* * *

A/N: These first two chapters were short, because the next chapter is pretty big and also happens to be the one I warned you about... ;)


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Okay, so this is the "mature" chapter, or the one I warned you about. Apparently these kind of chapters share a name with a certain piece of fruit that Cave Johnson doesn't like. (He'll burn your house down with them!)

I don't write this kind of thing often, so apologies if it sounds corny or too intense, or has too much muchness. But the rest of the story depends on what happens here, if you're paying attention. ;)

* * *

Admiring the Spiritual Stones set in the altar at the Temple of Time, Sheik was knocked out of his thoughts when a rather upset hero rushed up behind him and clamped onto his waist. Quickly turning around to see what was the matter, he was shocked to see Link's face covered with tears.

"Link? Link, what happened? Are you injured?" Sheik felt around Link's torso, finding a scrape that was nearly healed, but couldn't see anything that would cause such intense distress. "Did something happen at the temple? Ganondorf didn't frighten you, did he?"

"I'm nobody," she cried, burying her face in his chest. "Not one of them. Just a random Hylian whose mother dumped her off in the forest. I'm a no-fairy because I'm not a Kokiri!"

Sheik rubbed Link's back, in an effort to quell her sobbing. He knew something like this would come up eventually. "It's okay, Link. You're not nobody..."

"Yes, I am! They didn't even recognize me, and Navi was right there! I was wearing their clothes, I'm just about the same height, my face looks the same... Just because I got a little bigger, all of a sudden I don't matter anymore. Saria can't come back, but she said the other Kokiri would still like me. Well they didn't! Even Mido, he used to pick on me so much, Saria said it was because he liked me. No, it was bullying! He bullied me when I tried to go help her, then after he said to 'tell Link if I saw her that he was sorry'. He's not sorry, they're all the same. They think I killed the Deku Tree, Fado especially. I saw her in the Lost Woods, she kept taunting me that I'd become a stalfos. They were my family, now they forgot me! I'm nobody... hic... nobody..."

"Link." Sheik pulled Link's head out from his soggy clothing, and cupped both of her cheeks. "Listen to me carefully. You are the Hero of Time. That's not a position the Goddesses grant to just anyone. You're going to be the one who delivers Hyrule from the clutches of the evil king. You'll be remembered in the history books for centuries to come. Trust me, you are _not_ nobody."

"...But, but they were supposed to be my family... And they just ignored me... I was never one of them at all!"

Sheik smiled, and placed a light kiss upon Link's forehead. "You're an adult, Link. One of the benefits of being an adult is that you get to choose your family."

Link's eyes widened for a moment, and a blush filled her cheeks. "Does... does that mean I can choose... _you_... for my family?"

"If you like." Sheik pulled off Link's hat, and began scratching behind her ears. "But I'll have you know, I'm a very touchy-feely person. I like to hold my hero, and let her know how much I care about her. Think that's alright?"

Link closed her eyes, and practically started purring from the way Sheik was massaging her ears and temples. "Unh... ohh yes..." Wrapping her hands around his neck, she dug her fingers into his hair until she accidentally knocked his turban off.

"Hey now, no need to rush." Sheik grinned at Link, and led her back to the rear of the Temple where his gear was stashed. He motioned to his bedroll, and seductively whispered in her ear. "Would you like me to show you how adults share their feelings with one another? I promise to be gentle..."

"Do... does that mean I get to see what you look like without the bodysuit?" Link turned red all the way to her ears when Sheik nodded, and lowered her eyes to the eye emblazoned tabard adorning his chest. The thought of peeling everything away to reveal his toned, bronze abdomen was making her shiver, and she didn't even know the half of what was to come. It's not like the Kokiri were experts on love, after all.

Sheik pulled Link forward into a kiss, and while she held onto his neck, he began unhooking her sword and belts. When the two parted for air, she quickly slid off her gauntlets while he pulled off his tabard. "Here, sit on the blankets," Sheik urged, working at his gaiters while Link removed her boots.

He had only turned away for a second, to fight with his stubborn chest armor, but when Sheik looked back, Link had pulled her tunic and undershirt off. Beneath those, she was only wearing a pair of panties- no brassiere.

Link noticed her partner suddenly freeze up, and worried she did something wrong. "Sheik, is everything okay?"

"Oh, of course!" He blushed, then sat beside her and rubbed her shoulder, all the while admiring her small yet attractive breasts. "You... don't wear anything for support."

"Support what?"

"These." Sheik leaned in and cupped Link's breast, brushing against a nipple with the pad of his thumb and coaxing a moan from the young Hylian. As he continued tracing circles around that nipple and working it into a bud, he moved his mouth over to the other breast and began laving his tongue across its peak.

Link cried out and arched her chest into Sheik's mouth, overwhelmed by the new sensations his actions were filling her with. At first she was content to hold onto his head as he licked and bit at her breast, but eventually it got to be too much. On instinct Link pulled Sheik back to the floor, and smashed their lips together. "I want more..."

"Okay, okay. No need to be hasty." Link bit her lip as Sheik peeled off the remainder of his body suit, a moan escaping her lips when his muscular thighs came into view. When he was down to his loincloth he stopped, and knelt back beside Link. "Would you like the honor?"

Nervously nodding her head, Link reached over and uncovered Sheik. Her eyes went wide once his hard, thick cock was revealed. How was he hiding all that in his uniform? She reached over and ran her fingers along it, coaxing a sigh from the Sheikah. It was warm to the touch, and silky smooth. Link ran her fingers along the length, discovering that Sheik enjoyed it as much as she enjoyed him touching her breasts. She then got an idea.

Before Sheik knew what was going on, Link had him on his back with his cock down her throat. She had moved quickly, shoving him over onto the bedroll and positioning herself on top of his legs. At first she had only licked it, starting at the base and alternating between licks and stokes with her hand. But then she discovered that she could nip at his foreskin with her teeth, and swirl around his head with her tongue after taking the shaft down her throat. Best of all, he had this pouch underneath that she could play with while she sucked him off. From the noises he was making, he really enjoyed it...

"Mmmgh!" Link suddenly had a weird taste in her mouth, as Sheik tensed against the floor. She swallowed what she could, and sat up while wiping the remainder. "Sheik, what's this?"

"...I came in your mouth," he mumbled, covering his eyes in embarrassment. "It was not my intention to do so, precious one, but I was the victim of a sneak attack." He then sat up, and flipped them over so that Link was laying on her back. "Naughty girl."

"What did you mean, you came? What was that white stuff?"

Sheik chuckled at her pouting face. "You're so cute. How about I just show you?" Pressing their lips together, the Sheikah briefly continued his earlier nipple teasing, before trailing south toward Link's core. "Oh my, Link, you're positively soaked down here," Sheik teased as he traced a finger along the outside of her panties. "Maybe you've come already...?"

"W-what?" Link twitched as Sheik pressed against her labia. "I don't... ohh..."

"It's okay, I'm only teasing you, my hero," he purred, nuzzling into her cheek. "This will be a sensation you will most definitely be unable to think through." Sheik walked his fingers up to Link's hip bones, then slowly pulled away her undergarment. He paused for a moment to share a kiss with the nervous girl, merely caressing her navel, but then he slowly and gently trailed a path down to the curls above her pubic bone.

Link panted as her partner massaged her heated skin. "Sheik... ahh... why am I so... damp?"

"Your body is lubricating itself," he explained, running a finger between her folds and causing her to arch her back off the blanket. When he found the bundle of nerves that he was looking for, he circled it with his thumb before pressing against it. Link immediately jerked and moaned. "It's getting ready to be entered."

"E-entered? By wha... ahh!" Sheik cut short Link's question with a curl of his index finger, sliding it into her and rubbing against her inner walls. She moaned and sighed as he worked his finger inside of her, arching her back when he added a second finger. Sheik kept sliding his fingers in and out as Link panted, and resumed flicking at her bud. In no time Link tensed, and with a short scream, she collapsed against the bedroll.

"...Goddesses, what was that?" Link panted, her chest rising rapidly as she caught her breath. Sheik couldn't help smiling at the image of a sexed out Link, and withdrew his slicked hand from her legs.

"That was just the warm up," he grinned, using the juices of Link's climax to coat his well revived cock. Crawling overtop of Link, he cupped the back of her neck and pushed their lips together. She responded by hooking a leg around his waist, and sliding her tongue into his mouth.

"You're gonna put your thing in me, aren't you?" she mumbled when they broke for air.

"Yeah, and we're gonna fuck until we both pass out." Sheik smirked, and reached down to widen Link's thighs. Grabbing his erection, he began sliding it up and down her folds.

Link didn't know that word he just used, but she knew she liked this. "Ohh... That's goood..."

Sheik was turned on immensely by Link's moaning. "Yeah? It'll get even better in a minute... This might hurt a little at first, though. Shall I keep going?"

"I trust you, Sheik, keep going." Link closed her eyes and relaxed the best she could, as she felt Sheik probing at her entrance. First it felt like he was stretching her open, then suddenly he was nudging himself inside her.

Sheik took Link's hand and laced their fingers together, then without further delay thrust himself inside her warm channel. She grimaced and squeezed his hand hard enough to turn her knuckles white, so he leaned in and nuzzled her cheek.

"I'm sorry, it will pass soon. If it helps, it hurts me to cause you such pain... Ahh!"

Link giggled as Sheik winced and rubbed the sore spot on his neck, where she had reached out and bit into his flesh. In return, he smirked before pulling out and thrusting himself back in, this time all the way to the hilt. Link gasped and arched her back, a moan caught in her throat, but Sheik gave her no time to let it out before repeating his actions.

As Sheik began slamming into her, Link felt a tightness coiling up inside her abdomen. "Oh Sheik, that feels so... Goddesses!" Sheik's next thrust knocked her over, and she squeezed her legs around his abdomen while simultaneously clamping down inside.

"Link... ah... fuck!" Panting, Sheik grabbed the leg Link had wrapped around his back and buried himself within her fully, expelling his seed as he rode out his climax with Link.

"...That felt amazing," Link mumbled, once the two of them had calmed down and were once again breathing like normal people. "I'm still awake, though..."

Sheik caught on to Link's facetiousness, and flipped her over on the bedroll to spoon. "That's because you've only had the first course," he murmured in her ear, snaking a hand down and massaging between her legs. "By the time we get to dessert, you'll be so worn out, won't be able to walk for a week."

* * *

Link woke from a very pleasant dream, to find herself tucked under the arm of a worn out yet very pleased looking Sheikah. Turning on her side to admire him, she couldn't help running her fingers through his golden hair.

"Mmm, yeah I definitely prefer waking up this way," Sheik mumbled as he woke, twining his fingers with Link's and pulling her into a kiss.

"I think I like waking up _this_ way," Link countered, grinding her hips against Sheik's throbbing erection before spreading her legs and lowering herself onto him. "Do boys always wake up with their things hard?"

"Only when we're dreaming of making love to you," Sheik replied, grabbing Link's waist and thrusting up, biting his lip as her chest bounced with the movement. Link figured out what he was looking at, so while he was thrusting, she started playing with her breasts.

"You're a fast learner..."

"Well, last night you kept playing with these things, so I figured you must like them," Link joked, licking her fingers and rolling them around her nipples. "How did you put it? Oh, that's right. 'Make me come' and maybe I'll let you nibble on them again."

"You've got a deal," Sheik said with a grin, digging his nails into Link's hips and thrusting like there was no tomorrow.

After a lazy day of sex, sex, and more sex, Sheik finally managed to get his priorities straightened out and got Link moving again. "I love you, Link, but we need to get back to our mission. The Sage of Fire is waiting for your help."

Link pouted, but nodded and sat up to get dressed. "Alright. But I'm all sticky..."

Sheik laughed, and carried her over to a wash basin at the back of the temple. "If you think you're all sticky now, just wait until you reach the Fire Temple. It's in the middle of an active volcano, you'll be sweating a river."

"A volcano?!" Link blanched. "I can't go into a volcano! I'll melt!"

"Perhaps it wouldn't be a bad idea for you to train a bit first," Sheik mused as Link washed herself. "Take some time to talk with the people in Kakariko, and practice your archery in the new shooting gallery. I've even heard rumors that the ranch has come under some hardship, maybe you can investigate."

"Malon?" Link looked up from the basin at the mention of her friend's homestead, the color drained from her face. "Malon might be in trouble?"

Sheik bowed his head. "I can't say for sure, but they say that something happened and Talon was kicked off the ranch. If Malon is still there, she might be working against her will for the new owner."

Link finished cleaning herself, then hurried to get dressed. "I've got to help her, she was nice to me when I needed to get into Hyrule Castle, and she helped me when I looked for those stones. I'll do like you said, first I'll see what they know in Kakariko, then I'll go visit the ranch. Maybe when everything's sorted out, I'll be ready to go to the mountain."

"Now you're sounding like a real hero," Sheik complimented. "Make sure you visit the Gorons before you head up the mountain. They'll be able to give you information about the Fire Temple and maybe even some advice about the demon raging inside. Don't forget your training, and remember the Royal Family's song identifies you as their hero."

Nodding, Link ran over and kissed Sheik goodbye before gathering her weapons and heading out. Sheik waved farewell, and cleaned up the temple before departing.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Thank you for the reviews. I know their relationship seems a little quick, but I needed them to get to it so I could have Link start having problems. I hope it goes a little better from here.

This chapter was going to have the Fire Temple with it, but that made it seem too long. So I took that part off and will post it as a separate chapter.

* * *

"What the hell is wrong with you?!" Navi screamed, as Link practiced her swordplay on a scarecrow in the Kakariko graveyard. "You have a land to save, and instead you waste two whole days messing around with that boy!"

"Navi, calm down," Link shushed, following through with a stab. "I was hurt, and Sheik was comforting me. Do you think I would have been able to do anything while I was laid out and crying from what the Deku Tree Sprout told me?"

"...Well, no."

"Then it doesn't matter." Link looked down at her equipment bag, and saw that the egg she got from the Cucco Lady had hatched. "Come on, let's go wake Talon up so we can find out what happened at the ranch."

Link spent the next month training as promised, beginning with the liberation of Lon Lon Ranch. Ingo was easy to frighten back into line, and Link was relieved that Malon was unhurt. Malon was so happy to see her friend again that she gave her Epona, a cow and goat for fresh milk, and invited her to use the ranch as a training ground any time the hero needed a break in her duties. Link thanked her before resuming her training, taking a tour of the war torn Hyrule. She discovered the empty Lake Hylia, the frozen Zora's River, and the destroyed bridge into Gerudo Valley.

Worst of all, Link discovered that Goron City was deserted with the exception of one tiny Goron who rolled along the city midway. Finally catching his attention, she learned that Ganondorf had rounded up all the Gorons and imprisoned them inside the volcano, as food for the demon dragon Volvagia. This little Goron happened to be Darunia's son, and revealed that his father had left to try and save them by killing the dragon.

Realizing that Darunia was the Sage of Fire, Link knew that she had to help him. The little Goron, named Link in her honor, showed her how to reach the Fire Temple and provided her with a tunic to protect against the intense heat inside the volcano. Link quickly changed, and hurried to the secret entrance in the chief's room.

Link was feeling a little dizzy as she entered the Death Mountain Crater, but she persevered and quickly spotted the warping stone next to the temple entrance deep inside. "Hey, Navi... See it over there? The temple..."

"Yeah, I see it. Are you okay?"

"Just the heat," Link mumbled, and withdrew her hookshot to cross the broken bridge separating them. She fired successfully but miffed her landing, falling face down on the bridge and nearly scorching her face from the lava bubbling below.

"Hey there, you better be careful. That tunic won't protect you from the boiling lava."

Link blearily looked up as she heard someone speaking to her, and then a few seconds later felt that someone pick her up and carry her over to the warping stone. When she looked up to see who it was, she found a pair of crimson eyes gazing back at her. "...Sheik?"

"You don't look so good," Sheik said, feeling her forehead. "I don't feel a fever but maybe you need to rest for a little bit. How about I teach you this song, then we take a break?"

Nodding, Link fumbled for her ocarina as Sheik strummed the notes for the Bolero of Fire. She fumbled the first try, but the second came out correct. "...My head hurts."

"Shh, it's okay. The heat must be a little too much for you." Sheik quickly tucked their equipment away, then gathered Link into his arms and warped out of the crater. The pair materialized in Kakariko Village, and Sheik quickly carried Link into his master's house.

"Link, I'm going to have you rest here for a little bit," he said, tucking her into bed. "You've probably got a little heat sickness or something else from being in that crater. It will pass."

"I was feeling a little sick earlier," Link admitted, "but I thought I could work through it."

"Now now," Sheik chided, dabbing her forehead, "you're very important to us, you have to take care of yourself. Rest when you need to. I'll be downstairs keeping watch, you sleep."

A fuzzy feeling came over Link, which she soon recognized as how she felt when Saria used to comfort her after Mido's bullying. Sheik was looking out for her, and for just a moment, she felt relieved of her burdens. She dozed off, grateful that someone was there for her.

Link overcame her dizziness after a day's rest and some potion, and readied to return to Death Mountain Crater. "Be careful in there, Link. Watch out for Like Likes who might try to steal your tunic," Sheik warned, adjusting her cap before kissing her farewell.

"What's a Like Like?"

"It's... uh..." Sheik scratched his temple. "I guess 'blob monster' is the best way to describe it. They're giant slugs who eat shields and clothing. If your shield is lost, there are ways to cope, but if it gets your tunic that will be disastrous."

Link squirmed. "Guess I better stay away from those, then."

"Right." Sheik winked, before pulling a Deku Nut from his belt. "Once you awaken the Sage of Fire, head to Zora's River. I'm sure you've seen by now that it is cursed with winter frost, so bring a coat. I don't want you sick again. Good bye, little hero." With that, he vanished.

"I love that boy," Link sighed.


	5. Chapter 5

"...I can't do it."

"Yes you can, it's just a ladder."

Link stared at the ladder leading down into the deep, dark crevice that made up the entrance to the Fire Temple. "No, it's too long. I'm getting dizzy again just thinking of it."

"It will be fine," Navi insisted. "Just pretend you're climbing out of the tree house."

"It's not that easy," Link snorted, but still managed to turn around and attempt the climb down the ladder. Her hands were shaking the entire time, and about halfway down, one of the rungs busted off as she put her weight onto it.

"AH!"

"It's okay, almost done! Keep it up," Navi urged, trying to ease the situation. As soon as Link hit solid ground, the wave of nausea she picked up during the descent came to a head and the poor girl vomited while propped against the rock wall.

"Ugh..."

Unsure of what to say, Navi flew toward the temple. "Let's just keep going. Maybe this temple will be a breeze, like the Forest Temple was! Come on, you can do it."

Link stared at the fairy in contempt, before straightening and forcing herself to get moving. Sometimes she wished that fairies could get sick, so they'd know what it felt like.

The entryway was fairly quiet, and with only one open door to direct Link's path. On the other side she found Darunia, who beseeched her to free his people before disappearing through the door to the dragon's lair. A captive Goron in the same room supplied her with a key to the way forward, and also told her about a magic hammer said to be hidden somewhere in the temple.

"Why didn't Darunia take the hammer with him to fight the dragon?"

Link pointed the Goron toward the exit, then turned to the fairy. "Weren't you listening, Navi? He said he didn't have time to look for the legendary weapon. Now let's go, we have to hurry and find the others."

"Oh. Well, at least Darunia looked to be in good shape! He still thinks you're a boy, though."

The room on the other side of the temple turned out to be Link's least favorite. Full of hot lava, fire keese, red bubbles, and blocks that spit fire... She already fell in the lava once thanks to a combination of these terrors, and Sheik was right when he said the tunic did not protect against it.

"Like Likes are bad, Like Likes are bad..." Link chanted to herself, having encountered her first specimen on the far side of the room while searching for Gorons. It had eaten her but she was able to get her tunic and shield back before they were fully digested. Being eaten by a Like Like was a sensation she never wanted to feel again.

After escaping the Like Like room and crossing the lava without falling in it again, and saving two more Gorons, Link was finally ready to put this awful room behind her. "Door's locked." Link looked up when Navi pointed out the obvious, so she fished the key out of her belt pouch. When she tried to open it, however, she started seeing two keyholes.

"Not again..." Link winced and sat down, hoping it was just a quick dizzy spell that would soon pass. When the feeling subsided, she unlocked the door and hurried into the next room. Closing her eyes and leaning back against the door, she mumbled to herself, "It was just the heat from that lava pit, that's all. And the jumping."

"Well then, you're gonna love this one."

Link opened her eyes at Navi's snarky comment, and groaned. A tall room with a lava geyser in the center, a fence that screamed "climb me", and a block that obviously needed to be pushed onto the geyser and ridden through into the hole in the ceiling.

"Shit."

It got worse when she climbed up another floor, and discovered a room filled with rolling boulders. Running around to escape the boulders made her nauseous, but that was compounded when the only way forward was across a narrow catwalk high above the lava room. She threw up upon seeing it, and even after taking time to steady herself, the dizziness came back and caused her to slip over the edge and plummet two floors below.

Navi panicked, thinking she'd find a corpse, but was relieved to discover Link had survived the fall. "Link, are you okay?!"

"I hate the Fire Temple," Link muttered as she pulled herself out of the remains of the block that had broken her fall. "Sooner it's over, the better."

"...You know you gotta redo all that to get back up there."

Link was suddenly curious if fairies could withstand lava burns.

* * *

With the Sage of Fire awakened and the curse on Death Mountain lifted, Link emerged from the Sacred Realm completely and utterly exhausted. Narrow walkways here, hidden walls of fire there... Thank the Goddesses it was over. She forced herself to the Great Fairy of Wisdom's spring for healing, but even the Great Fairy's magic couldn't ease the weariness caused by the month of hell that made up the Fire Temple. Once the Great Fairy finished her spell and left, Link immediately fell back and collapsed into the basin.

"Link! What are you doing?!" Navi immediately began buzzing about in a frenzy. "Get out of there, it's forbidden!"

"Unh..."

"Get your butt out of that basin or I will drag you out!"

"...I'm hungry, can you find me some food?"

Navi recoiled at the strange request. "Did I just hear you right?"

"Well, my back really hurts and I'm hot so I don't want to get up," Link mumbled. "Go ask the Gorons if they have anything to eat besides rocks."

Navi growled, her aura turning red. "Get your butt out of that basin right _now_."

"But if I move too quickly, I might throw up again."

"AUGH!" Defeated, Navi buzzed out of the fountain and returned a few minutes later with some red potion from the shopkeeper.

"That's not food..."

"Well it's all they had, you ungrateful whelp. Now drink it so we can get out of here."


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: This chapter is a little weird... I've let it sit for a while and edited it a few times, but I don't think I can do anything else with it so I just have to post it and get rid of it.

Part of it happens in a fairy cave, and you may think what they do is rather strange. It's actually a callback to my other Sheik/Link story Ocarina, where the Great Fairy asks to "watch" sometime. XD

* * *

Link was so winded from the experience in the Fire Temple, that she was in no shape to help unfreeze the Zoras right away. Instead, she tried her best to help as many people in Kakariko as possible, starting with the Skulltula house. She managed to free all five of the sons, thanks in part to her curiosity as a child having rewarded her with a bag full of Skulltula tokens. Next she tried to help the Cucco Lady find her brother, but by the time she got his medicine to him, he was already gone.

Instead of moping over her failure, Link took a trip to survey the drained Lake Hylia. She learned from the old man in the laboratory that the water slowly drained away after the waterfall had frozen, and that local wildlife was beginning to suffer. There were still fish to eat from the pond, but soon even that resource would dry up. Something had to be done, or the Hylians and even the Gerudo would eventually starve.

Promising to investigate and now feeling well enough to resume the quest, Link saddled up Epona and headed for Zora's Domain. The closer Link got to the waterfall, the heavier it began to snow, and it worried her that she wouldn't be able to find anyone who might be the Sage of Water. She was able to pass through the Great Waterfall, but once inside Link discovered that everything had frozen over.

Link and Navi looked at each other in horror. "Navi, how could...?"

"Ganondorf must have done this! I'll check the lower levels, you go check above!"

Navi flew off, as Link ran up the staircase to King Zora's hall. When she arrived, she was shocked to find King Zora encased in a huge red iceberg. She pulled out her sword and tried to shatter it, but it was solid and didn't even chip. Then Link remembered that the old man from the laboratory had given her a bottle containing a strange blue fire, and decided to see if it would have an effect on the strange red ice.

Navi arrived in time to see Link uncork the bottle, and toss the contents at the iceberg. Link jumped back as it started sizzling, and soon the entire thing had melted away. Link very carefully shook King Zora awake, and was relieved when he sprung back without incident.

"Oh my, what happened? Am I alive?"

"Yes, King Zora, you were frozen solid," Link answered. "The whole Domain is frozen, and water has stopped flowing through Hyrule. Lake Hylia has even dried up!"

"This must be another curse," King Zora replied with a shake of his head. "Ever since Ganondorf took the Triforce seven years ago, terrible things have happened in Hyrule. You, you are the same girl that helped us when he plagued Lord Jabu-Jabu, correct?"

"I am, yes."

"Oh, I am afraid your assistance only delayed the curse affecting him," the king answered solemnly. "Shortly after Ganondorf attacked the castle, Lord Jabu-Jabu left us."

Navi sprung up in shock, while Link bowed her head in respect. "Young hero, take this tunic for helping me. I also must ask you to find my daughter, surely she will be able to help you in your quest as well."

"Princess Ruto... yes, she must be the Sage of Water!" Link took the tunic from the king in gratitude, and bowed. "King Zora, do you have any idea where your daughter might be?"

"Hmm. I would guess that she's praying at the Water Temple at the bottom of Lake Hylia, but if you said it is drained, maybe she isn't there." He then turned and pointed to the passage behind him. "Perhaps you should check the Fountain. There is a cavern along the hillside that supposedly holds a great treasure. She might have gone to look for it."

Link nodded over her shoulder to Navi, then said her goodbyes to the king. "We'll do our best to find her, Your Majesty. Hopefully once we lift the curse at the temple, the ice here will melt and we'll be able to free the rest of your people from beneath the ice."

* * *

Link trudged along through the Ice Cavern, her coat wrapped tightly around her and the snow pants she bought in Kakariko hiked up over her waist. If there was one thing she couldn't stand, it was the cold.

Dispatching the white wolfos that was guarding the cavern's treasure was easy, but Link was disappointed to find out said treasure was only a pair of heavy boots. "Pooey..."

"You should try them out, there's something cool at the bottom of the fountain."

"Sheik!" Link whipped around and ran at the Sheikah as he dropped from the ceiling, knocking him over into the snow. "I missed you so much..."

"You're bundled up like a little snow bunny," Sheik laughed, patting the sides of her puffy coat. "How was the Fire Temple?"

"A nightmare." Link laid her head on Sheik's chest, and traced the emblem on his tabard. "There was this narrow catwalk high above one of the chambers, and because my dizziness came back, I kept falling off and had to retrace my steps a bunch of times. Then I had to make sure I got all the Gorons out, and I couldn't find a couple. Plus that hammer was really heavy, and I hurt my shoulder... Oh, it all took me so long..."

"Shh, it's okay, you made it..." Sheik helped Link to her feet, then pulled out his lyre. "We don't have much time to waste with this one. I managed to save Princess Ruto from under the ice, and she's already on her way into the temple to pray. Let me teach you the song to lead you there."

"Thank the goddesses you found her." Link withdrew her ocarina, but then slowly lowered her head. "Do we really have to hurry? I haven't seen you in so long, and I..."

"No, it's okay," Sheik smiled as he lifted her chin, placing a small kiss on her cheek. "Let's finish the song, then we'll go rest for the night in the Great Fairy's cave."

Link nodded as Sheik began the Serenade of Water. The five simple notes filled the room, and the two played together perfectly. "You've really improved your playing," Sheik praised, brushing Link's other cheek. "It's time to get out of this freezer, you've earned a rest." The two hurried out of the Ice Cavern and crossed the fountain to reach the Great Fairy's cave, with Link bolting inside to escape the cold.

Sheik chuckled as Link quickly built a fire and huddled in front of it, so in order to help he pulled out his blanket and wrapped it around her shoulders. "You poor thing, I didn't realize you disliked the cold that much."

"The temperature in the forest was always nice and warm," she explained, drawing closer to him. "It would snow in the Lost Woods but never in Kokiri Forest. I stayed away when it did, since I would always freeze. Makes sense now, I suppose, since I'm not one of them."

"Well don't worry, I'm here to warm you up." With that, Sheik slid his arm around Link's shoulders and pulled her into a kiss. Link melted immediately, and reciprocated the kiss by wrapping her arms around Sheik's neck and snaking her fingers into his hair.

"The Great Fairy would probably be offended if we went any further, wouldn't she?" Link pouted, assuming Sheik would veto her suggestion. To her surprise, he slid his hands up under her tunic and began untying her snow pants.

"On the contrary, I don't believe she would mind it one bit."

Excited, Link began wiggling out of her clothing while Sheik unrolled a large sleeping bag. "...Hey, you don't mind if I keep my stockings on, do you? I think my toes are gonna fall off."

Sheik turned around and looked at Link, who had already stripped apart from the aforementioned stockings, and was rocking back and forth with her coat draped over her shoulders. "Heh, you can keep the coat on too, if you like. I think you look rather adorable."

"Adorable, huh?" Link snickered, and playfully crawled over to Sheik. "What about you? You're covered in all _this_ stuff." She swiftly divested him of his tabard, and once that was gone, the other pieces covering his torso were easily cast aside.

With Link being so close, Sheik took the opportunity to pull her into his lap and begin exploring. She had complained of the cold, but the body pressed against his chest was so warm that he couldn't imagine any other sensation. The rise and fall of her plump breasts with every breath she took, the way they rubbed against him as she held him tight, how her nipples peaked as he exhaled over them... All these sensations shooting straight to his groin reminded him that he needed to get out of this suit and _fast_.

"Link, can you... pull the rest of it away?"

Link leaned back from nibbling on Sheik's neck as he made his pained request, and she could see from the damp spot forming on his tights just how urgent a request it was. Smiling, she kissed Sheik then seductively licked a trail down his chest to his navel where the body suit began. She hooked her fingers under the sides and eased it down, until his rock hard cock finally sprung free of its entrapment.

"Thank you, Lin- oh!" Link surprised Sheik by grabbing him and taking him down her throat, making sure to wet him as thoroughly as possible. When Link was sure she had slicked him up sufficiently, she climbed back in his lap and lowered herself onto him.

"Ngh, ah, ohh Sheik, this feels so good..."

"Hey, dodo, you're not supposed to do all the work yourself!" Sheik pulled Link close for a kiss, moaning as her warm channel compressed around his cock. "Goddesses above, you're so tight..."

Link wrapped her arms around Sheik's neck and shoulders, then pulled her hips back and thrust herself against Sheik. They both moaned in pleasure, so she pulled back and thrust against him again. "Ahh Sheik, it's so good."

Sheik nodded, his head beginning to fog on the edge of release. "Let me this time. Put your hand here." Sheik guided Link to her folds, and showed her how to pleasure herself. He then grabbed her hips and began slamming into her with a faster rhythm, holding himself back as long as he could to wait for her.

"Harder, Sheik! I'm gonna... Ah!"

Link tensed as Sheik thrust into her with all he could muster, her clench causing him to tip over and come hard. Link gripped Sheik and milked him dry, as the two collapsed together onto the sleeping bag. Minds lost in the afterglow, they snuggled together and fell asleep.

Once the excitement had died down, Navi emerged from Link's gear and managed to pull the blanket overtop of the dreaming lovers, all the while shaking her head and muttering about the silly behaviors of humans. "Fooling around when there's work to be done... You're lucky you two make such an adorable pair."

* * *

A/N: I've always believed that fairies like Navi can use magic to carry things, also a callback to Ocarina.


	7. Chapter 7

Their night of happiness over, Link and Sheik readied to head out on their individual quests. "What will you be doing this time, Sheik?" Link asked as she bundled herself back up.

"I'm going to see if I can find any more Zora survivors," he answered. "The ice won't thaw until you break the curse at the temple, but in the meantime I can at least attempt to save as many as I can. King Zora might appreciate the help."

"That's a good idea." Link unfolded and donned her new Zora Tunic, then packed the old one away along with the boots and her other tools. "Any advice for the Water Temple?"

"Yes, actually." Sheik took Link's hand, and looked her straight in the eyes. "You'll need that water tunic of course, but other than that I've heard tales of a dark force at the bottom of Lake Hylia. Make sure you have your strongest weapons with you, and that you are ready for the fight of your life."

"The king gave me this tunic when I let him out of that pink ice," Link explained, "so I guess he was thinking ahead. Do you think I need to go train some more, so that I'm prepared?"

"Hmm." Sheik looked through Link's tools, raising an eyebrow at the poacher's saw. "Maybe you should go see the carpenters stuck on the gorge into Gerudo Valley," he suggested.

"Gerudo Valley? But the bridge is broken!"

"Epona is a strong horse, she can make the jump," he assured her, before picking up the saw. "But this little saw can net you a fine weapon if you give it back to Boss Mutoh."

Link giggled. "Now why would the boss of the carpenters have a weapon?"

"They don't know the treasure they have," Sheik clarified. "The Gorons on Death Mountain are master craftsmen, Biggoron in particular. It takes years for a piece to be completed, but only days to repair one. And from what I hear, Mutoh managed to break his. Trade him the saw for the broken sword, and you can ask Biggoron to repair it for you. Then you'll have a mighty weapon to reinforce the Master Sword."

"If you say so..."

"Trust me, my love." Sheik smiled as he withdrew a deku nut. "Be careful out there..."

Nodding, Link gathered her equipment and kissed Sheik goodbye. Before leaving Zora's Fountain, Link tried out her new gear. She found the tunic and boots combination a little less annoying than the heat of the volcano, as the buoyancy of the water was a blessing for her sore muscles, but the cold was a different beast altogether. Hopefully the lake water was warmer, and the temple easier than that horrible volcano.

* * *

"Link, you've really been packing on the pounds lately..."

Link looked up from her meager dinner, eyes wide in shock. She immediately grabbed her boot and threw it at the snooty little fairy, a sharp pout on her face. "Who asked you?"

Dodging the boot as it thwacked against the ranch fence, Navi sighed. "I just don't get how you can barely eat anything, yet still be gaining weight. I mean, if it weren't for the villagers or Malon giving you food for helping them out, you wouldn't even eat at all!"

"Shut up," she growled, staring at her tummy. "You're always picking on me. Who cares if I'm gaining weight? I'm small, maybe I'm supposed to get bigger since I slept all that time."

"I'm pretty sure when you gain that kind of weight, it doesn't stay all in one place like yours is," Navi muttered to herself, dragging the boot back toward the tree Link was sitting under. "Sheik probably didn't say anything because it was dark and you weren't as noticeable, and I'll bet Malon is just being polite."

"I am NOT FAT!" Another boot sailed through the air, this time hitting its target.

"OW! Hey, stop it! Okay, I'll quit talking about your weight, geez..."

Link picked at her food, contemplating what Navi had said. She never gained weight like this as a kid, maybe this was some kind of adult thing. It was weird that the only things that were getting bigger were her breasts and her stomach, but then again all women grew breasts as an adult. Did they grow bigger stomachs too?

"Hey, when are you going to go back to the temple? You're keeping Ruto waiting."

"Huh? Oh, soon," Link answered, using her new Biggoron Sword to help stand up. After spending a week to get the sword, she had gone to the Water Temple and found Princess Ruto. The puzzles in the temple proved too challenging however, and after another exhausting week had passed, she'd only managed to unlock all the doors on the top level. "I have to be fully rested before I face off against that demon, Sheik said it was going to be the fight of my life."

"Laaazy..."

"I am NOT lazy! I'll probably head back tomorrow or the day after. You don't want me getting dizzy again by going too soon, do you?"

Navi conceded, and sat down in the grass. "No, I don't want that."

* * *

Standing on the other side of a spike wall, Link stared down a particularly annoying Like Like. "You're _not_ getting this tunic, you slug." Using her Biggoron Sword, she stabbed wantonly through the spikes until the creature finally died, then used her hookshot to climb over the obstacle. "There, problem solved."

"Well done," Navi snorted.

"Zip it!" The next room creeped Link out. When the door locked behind her, Link realized she may have found the creature Sheik had warned her about, however the room appeared to be empty. Only a single tree in a misty pond.

"Navi, go see if anything's there."

"Nuh-uh, you're the hero."

Link sighed, and slowly approached the tree. Nothing was there, so she continued on to inspect the far door. Nothing there either, so she decided to return to the tree. When she approached it this time, however, something materialized into view.

"...Great Goddesses, you're fat."

Link jumped back as a black toned copy of herself lunged forward and slashed at her. It got in another good hit before she had enough sense to strike back, though the copy was faster and blocked the strike.

"Link, watch out! It's an exact duplicate of you!"

"Not quite, I'm nowhere near as tubby. Or slow!" The Dark Link smacked Link on the side of the head with its sword, knocking her to the ground. Link was quick enough to roll out of the way as it stabbed the ground, and countered with a horizontal slash.

"Navi, what do you mean an exact copy? How is that possible?" Link tried to block an incoming slice with her Biggoron Sword, but the Dark Link's slash cut through the block and tore a nasty gouge in her arm.

"You are defenseless with that thing! Put the butcher knife away and get your shield and Master Sword out!" Navi yelled, as Link ran from a jump strike. "Like I said, it's an exact copy and knows all the same things you know. That means it has the same weaknesses!"

Link squirmed as the Dark Link grabbed her leg and knocked her to the ground, but she had switched her weapons and was able to block its next strike with her shield. Thinking on her toes, she grabbed a deku nut and threw it at the shadow's head, stunning it enough to get a good slice in from the other side.

The Dark Link fell away in agony, but quickly sprung up to continue the assault. Link rolled to her feet and tried to swipe again, but the Dark Link was blocking at every opportunity. Then Link remembered one weakness that even the shadow wouldn't be able to overcome.

Link backed off the assault, attempting to lure the Dark Link into another jump strike. She pretended to trip so as to set it up, and as soon as the shadow started to lunge, Link rolled to her feet and threw all her weight behind a counter blow using the magic hammer. It worked, and Link connected with Dark Link's unguarded flank.

Dark Link shrieked as it took the final blow, and began sizzling away. "No, can't be... beaten... by... a... preg... ugh..." The creature faded away, and with it, the room slowly returned to normal. Exhausted from the grueling duel, Link fell back onto the ground and passed out.


	8. Chapter 8

Sheik stood on the edge of the island at the center of Lake Hylia, marveling as the lake filled once more. "As the water rises, the evil is vanishing from the lake... Link, you did it!" He heard the familiar hum of the Sacred Realm returning Link to Hyrule behind him, and whipped around to welcome her home. But as Link stepped off the warping stone and raised her arms to greet him, Sheik froze in his tracks.

"Sheik! Oh Goddesses, am I ever glad to see you..." Link ran straight toward him, throwing her arms around his neck. "You were right, that demon was awful. It was a copy of me! I had so much trouble beating it, then on top of that, there was this evil eel thing that caught Ruto! It grabbed me and squeezed me so tightly... The whole temple even took me longer than the Fire Temple to finish!"

Sheik grabbed Link's shoulders and shoved her at arms length, staring in horror at her body. She wasn't maimed, but rather, her belly was swollen. "Why didn't you tell me?!"

"Tell you what?" Link batted her eyes, stunned by the sudden seriousness in Sheik's tone.

Sheik's eyes widened as he realized the gravity of the situation, and he quickly swept the area for eavesdroppers. "I have to get you out of here," he mumbled, pulling Link close and withdrawing his lyre. Link was thoroughly confused, but held close to Sheik as he played the Minuet of Forest and warped them to the Sacred Forest Meadow.

Once they arrived in the Lost Woods, Sheik hurried them through to the Kokiri Forest and barricaded them inside Link's house. Link was understandably bewildered. "Sheik, what's wrong? What was I supposed to tell you?"

"Oh, Link... This is my fault, all my fault." Easing Link down on her bed, Sheik knelt down and held her cheek, all the while stealing glances toward her distended abdomen. "I should have known you wouldn't realize it. Link... you're pregnant!"

Navi flew up in a panic and then fainted, Sheik just barely catching her before she crashed into the table. Link tilted her head in confusion at the action; there were a lot of things Navi freaked out over, but she never fainted before.

"Uh, Sheik, what's a pregnant? Is it bad?"

"Oh no, no..." Sheik reached out and drew Link into a hug, gently rubbing her back. "It's not bad... at least not usually."

"Then why is it your fault? What did you do wrong?"

"It's not like that," Sheik admitted, pulling back to look Link in the eyes. He couldn't help smiling at how innocent she looked, and now how much she glowed. "The two of us, we've made a life together. That's what pregnant means. You're growing our child in your belly."

Link gasped, and stared down at her stomach. "So THAT'S why I was getting fat! But, but... We made a baby? How did we make a baby?"

Sheik laughed. If only he could afford to be so innocent like her. "It's rather simple, really. You remember when we made love in the Temple of Time?"

Blushing, Link nodded. She'd never forget those nights as long as she lived.

"That's how you make a baby."

Link's cute little pink tinge became an all out red flush. "You, you didn't tell me that!"

"I'm sorry, my common sense was elsewhere at the time," he confessed.

"Yeah, I definitely didn't get this way from eating all those table scraps..."

"I know, we're in a fine mess of trouble," he admitted, sighing and running his hands through his hair. "You're far enough along to see the baby from the outside, so that's maybe four months. A pregnancy lasts ten months total, so you have six months left plus however long after to heal. Both you and the child are vulnerable as the pregnancy goes on, and there is no way you can traverse the nightmare of the Shadow Temple in such a state."

"So I'll just take a break," Link suggested. "What's the harm in that?"

Sheik stopped his nervous drumming. "What's the harm? Ganondorf will start to wonder why the hero has suddenly disappeared after flying through three temples. He may start searching for you, and if he finds you, and finds out you have a _child_ , that could be disastrous. He'll use her to get to you and wear you down."

"Well then, her father will have to protect her," Link snapped back, wrapping her arms around her belly. "Or if it's a boy, he'll need his father to look after him just the same!"

"Don't worry, Papa won't be going anywhere," Sheik assured her, smiling at how Link instantly fell into Mommy Mode despite not knowing the first thing about motherhood. "What I am concerned about though is how we're going to take you out of the picture for the time being." Sheik looked to Link, and spied the fresh scar on her forearm. "Hm, maybe I'll spread a rumor that you were injured in the fight with Morpha."

"Huh?"

"Yes... You were hurt so badly by the combined fights with your shadow and the demon of the Water Temple, that you'll be out of commission for at least six months." Sheik grinned. "That ought to get Ganondorf off the scent, and it will leave you enough time to have the baby and recover!"

Link smiled at Sheik's sudden confidence, but then a thought occurred to her. "Um, Sheik... Where are we going to hide? I'm not a Kokiri anymore, we can't stay here."

Sheik stopped in his tracks. "What? Oh yes you _can_ stay here. In fact, you're not leaving this little village until you give birth to that baby."

"But-"

"No buts." Sheik then scooped Link up into his arms, and headed out into the village clearing. "We're going to see the Deku Tree Sprout."

"What?!" Link immediately started squirming, trying to get away. "No, he can't see me like this! And you're an outsider, you can't be here! Navi...! NAVI!"

"She's still unconscious, she won't be able to help you."

"Noooo!"

The Kokiri came out of hiding and gathered around to watch the bizarre spectacle of the girl that saved their forest being carted off against her will by a stranger in funny clothes. Mido and Fado were standing near the shop, and gasped in tandem as they heard Sheik try to calm down the hysterical Link. That couldn't be the no-fairy they knew, could it?

Sheik continued into the Great Deku Tree's hollow, eventually giving up on shushing Link. Instead, he walked right up to the Deku Tree Sprout and plopped her down on the ground.

"My my! Such excitement in the Kokiri Forest today," the Deku Tree Sprout chuckled, taking in the frumpled state of the girl in front of him and the even rarer visitor standing behind her. "Is something the matter, Link? You don't have Navi with you, and instead you've brought your Sheikah guide. Or rather, your guide has brought you..."

"Great Deku Tree, I am Sheik of the Sheikah," he began, offering a deep bow. "I beg your pardon for intruding into your sacred Kokiri Forest, but I'm afraid we've had a rather serious situation arise."

"Your fault," Link mumbled, drawing her knees against her chest and turning away.

Sheik smiled at the outburst. "I'm afraid I have to humbly ask for asylum within the Kokiri Forest for at least the next six months, if not for the both of us then at least for Link."

"What has happened?" the Deku Tree Sprout asked.

"...Are you going to show him?"

"No."

"Please?"

"NO."

Sheik nodded in defeat, and pressed a kiss to the top of Link's head. "Great Deku Tree, I'm afraid Link is pregnant."

The Deku Tree Sprout squeaked in surprise. "Goodness me! But you've both barely begun the journey of adulthood! Link, you are practically still a child!"

"...Well at least Sheik and my baby are going to be a real family," Link muttered, narrowing her eyes. She hadn't forgotten what happened the last time she spoke with the spirit.

The Deku Tree Sprout realized how hurt Link had been by the revelations, and wanted to make up for it. "You're welcome to stay as long as you need, both of you. We'll do our best to see that no unwelcome creatures enter the forest. You and the baby will be safe here."

Link looked up from her pouting and cracked a smile, as Sheik bowed to the Deku Tree Sprout in thanks. The two of them returned to her treehouse in time to find Navi stirring, and so they sat down to share with her the plan for the coming months.

"Uhn... What a headache..."

"Oh Navi, you're okay!" Link scooped the little fairy up and hugged her to her cheek. "Why did you go crazy like that?"

"I don't know very much about Hylians, but I do know what the word 'pregnant' means," she grumbled, rubbing her sore temples. "And YOU. ARE. IN. DEEP. _TROUBLE!_ " Navi flew up like she was going to bounce off of Link's head, but at the last second zipped around and threw a bowl at Sheik instead.

Sheik let the bowl hit him, since he knew there wouldn't be any other way to calm the fairy down but to let her burn off her anger. "We've already spoken with the Deku Tree Sprout, Miss Navi. He's agreed to let us stay here in Kokiri Forest while Link is growing the child."

"Well of course he did, what choice did he have?" Navi stuck her tongue out at the Sheikah, then flew over and sat on Link's knee. "Tell that boy he has to go find you some food. You'll need some new clothes, too, since you had to go and get all fat."

Link pouted, and rubbed her tummy. "I'm not fat, Navi, I have a baby inside me. There's a difference. And my clothes still fit..."

"She's right, though," Sheik interrupted, draping a blanket over Link's shoulders. "Your green tunic certainly won't fit you now, and that blue one is looking very tight. That baby is going to start growing rapidly, and you'll soon end up with a tummy as round as a Goron."

"What?!"

"I'm not kidding. You're going to be as round as the little Deku Sprout before baby makes her debut." Sheik wrapped his arms around Link, and rubbed their noses together to cheer her up. "You get some rest. I'm going to head out to Kakariko for some supplies, and to get those rumors started. I want the two of you to start taking it easy from now on, okay?"

Link smiled, and tucked herself into bed as Sheik departed.

* * *

A/N: I never posted this because I thought the tree part was sappy (no pun intended) but I do like some of what I've written after this so I figured I'd quit holding it hostage.


	9. Chapter 9

Sheik came back to the tree house with a bag full of supplies, and the commotion of unloading them caused Link to stir. "Yaah... back already?"

"I was gone for quite a while," he chuckled. "It's the next day."

Link sat up and looked around, the events of last night coming back to her. "Oh, that's right, we're in the Kokiri forest..." She then looked down at her stomach. "And I have a baby inside me."

"Yup." Sheik withdrew a book from his bag, and handed it to Link. "You'll want to read this, it details what happens with a pregnancy and things like morning sickness. Your dizziness."

"Oh."

"I also, for the sake of making things easier on us, told Malon."

"WHAT?" Link glared at Sheik in shock, her eyes as wide as could be.

"It's better this way, she can help by getting me supplies that I would raise suspicion by fetching," he explained. "Besides, she told me she already suspected when she saw how big your breasts and stomach were getting." Sheik sat down beside Link and rubbed her back. "Malon's a farm girl, she knows a lot about this kind of thing. We're lucky to have her help."

"I guess so..." Link laid back down, and started flipping through the book. Some of the pictures startled her, like the woman who was pregnant with twins. Her body was all distorted and huge. Then there was a woman who had to be cut open to take the baby out, and another who was tied to a chair.

Link yelped and threw the book across the room, crying as she curled into a ball. Navi flew up in the air in panic, as Sheik ran over and tried to comfort the sobbing girl.

"Link, what's wrong?"

"I don't want to be tied to a chair! I wish this never happened!"

"Tied to a chair...?" Sheik picked up the book and tried to figure out what spooked her, discovering the page in the birthing section. "Oh, I see. Link, this woman isn't tied to a chair. This is a 'birthing chair', and these cords on the arm rests are for her to pull on while she's pushing the baby out. It helps her focus, nobody tied her up. This other picture where the woman is being cut open is only if the baby is stuck and won't come out. It's okay."

Link looked up at Sheik and tried to smile, but still felt uneasy. "...What if I'm not a good mother? You heard the Deku Sprout, we're too young."

"Nonsense, you'll be a perfect mother." Sheik kissed Link's forehead, and wiped her cheeks. "Do you really think a tree has any authority on what it's like to raise a child? The Kokiri are created as they are, and you're the only baby he's ever had to actually bring up. Even then, you only had ten years with him before going out on your own."

"I guess you're right..."

"There's a smile." Sheik tickled Link's sides to get her in higher spirits, then got up to finish making her breakfast. "Mommy and baby need to stay healthy, and some good food ought to do the trick. I also brought some water in if you'd like to wash up."

That's right, now that Link was an adult, she probably shouldn't bathe in the spring pool anymore like the rest of the Kokiri. "What are these, are they for me too?"

Sheik looked over, and saw Link rooting through the pile of clothes he left next to the water pail. "Oh yes, from Malon. Some old dresses and pantaloons that she said should fit you now and as you grow with the baby. I think they were her mother's, but then again Malon is a little bigger than you so they could have been hers. I'm not sure."

Link giggled at Sheik's mumbling, and picked out a dress that was loose enough to let her breathe. She was actually grateful that the dresses were primarily high waisted; now that her bust was growing, it was painful without some support. "How do I look?"

"Perfect." Sheik kissed Link's cheek, then handed her a bowl of rice soup. "Here you are, one home cooked meal for the mother-to-be."

"Thank you, father-to-be." Link took the bowl with a grin, and sat down for their first meal as a family.

* * *

"So you really are Link?"

"Uh huh." Link counted out the rupees from her wallet for the shopkeeper, and took her bag of recovery hearts.

"Wow, so you grew up, then? How did you do that? And why is your belly so big?" Rena, sister of Lena the awning girl, circled around Link. "Our bellies don't get big."

"And they better not," Link chuckled, patting her on the head. "I have a baby in there."

"A baby?! You ate a baby?"

That made the hero grimace. "No, of course not! I'm _growing_ a baby, with my boyfriend Sheik. That's how Hylians and Sheikah make babies. The Great Deku Tree made all of you Kokiri out of thin air, I guess."

"It's a little more complicated that that," Navi snorted.

"Anyway," Link said with a glare towards the snarky fairy, "my tummy's so big because the baby is getting bigger. Sheik says there's maybe two months left, but I'm gonna get even bigger still."

"That's weird. Well, I gotta go. Bye, Link!"

Link waved goodbye as the girl ran off, grateful that the Kokiri were beginning to treat her like normal again. Fado was still ignoring her and Mido was still being a jerk, but they couldn't be helped. At least Saria was still on her side, and in return for not being able to help in person, Saria gave Link permission to move into her house. It was a wonderful reprieve, as the ladder into Link's treehouse had suddenly become a great burden.

Once back inside the house, Link found Sheik standing over the empty bed with his arms crossed. "And just where were you, little missy...?"

"I went to the store for some hearts, because my stomach hurt a little," Link admitted, holding up the bag. "I wasn't gone long..."

"Just long enough for me to catch you." Sheik smirked, before strolling over and pulling Link into a hug. "You naughty little girl, can't listen to directions."

"What, walks are good!" Link retaliated by nipping at Sheik's nose, though he didn't budge an inch. She was trapped.

"I already told you, you're too young to be pregnant so you have to take it easy. Rest is best. Now eat your hearts and lay back down." Sheik waited until Link got back into bed, then filled her in on what he learned while out in Kakariko Village. "Ganondorf's forces have been fooled so far by reports of your injuries. However, I can tell they're getting restless. Perhaps you'll need to get moving sooner than we planned."

"But... what about the baby?"

"I'll look after the baby," Sheik assured her, "don't worry. But once you're able to go back out there, you better do the Spirit Temple ahead of the Shadow Temple."

"Go straight into Gerudo territory?!" Link sat up in bed, and stared at Sheik in disbelief. "That's a terrible idea!"

"No, Link, it will be okay. There are rumors that the Gerudo are unhappy with Ganondorf's behavior as of late," Sheik shared. "Besides, one of them has to be the Sage, you just have to find her. It shouldn't be nearly as hard as the Shadow trials will be."

"I hope you're right."


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: This chapter is a little gross, and not entirely accurate. But for the sake of moving the story along, let's say it is.

* * *

Link was sitting on her bed, fiddling with a baby outfit. "Hey Navi, do you think the baby will like green?"

"If the baby grows up in the forest, probably." Navi flew around the hut, looking at the food they had stocked. "That boy gathered a bunch of junk. Nuts, jerky meat... you have to eat more than protein. Right?" Navi turned to look back at Link, but stopped when she saw Link making a funny face. "What's wrong?"

"I don't know, that pain Sheik told me about is back but it's getting worse." Link winced, and grabbed at her back. "Oww... It won't go away..."

Navi perked up. "How long has it been hurting?"

"All morning, since I..."

"Since you what?" Navi flew over when Link didn't answer, and found her staring at a growing puddle on the sheets. "What's that?"

Unsure, Link started shaking. "Sheik... get Sheik..."

Navi buzzed out the door to the pond, where Sheik was washing some clothes. When she explained what had happened, he immediately ran back to the house, nearly toppling over one of the Kokiri on the way.

"Link! It will be okay, just lay back," he urged, sliding a pillow behind her head. He knew it was almost time for the baby to come, but hadn't thought today was going to be the day.

"What happened to her?!" Navi squeaked, halfway toward one of her freakouts.

"Her water broke," he explained, clearing the soiled blankets from the bed and carefully removing Link's undergarments. "That means it's time for the baby to come."

Link tried to steady her breathing. Has it been that long already? "Sheik... what, what do I do? How does...?"

"You're going to have to push," he answered, rubbing her forehead. "It's going to take a while, unfortunately, but that's why you're feeling pain. Your body is trying to push the baby out. When it's time to start, you're going to feel it."

"But how?"

Sheik shrugged. "I don't know, baby. I've never done this before." Kissing her to ease the tension, Sheik sat beside Link and held her hand. "The book said it's easiest when you lean back on the bed with your feet planted apart, so that gravity will help."

"Okay..." Link scooted back with Sheik's assistance, but immediately gripped his hand. She was feeling that urge to push, and hard. "Ah, Sheik... it hurts!"

"Push, Link, it will only hurt for a little bit. You're doing fine!"

Sheik pulled back Link's nightgown, so that he could keep an eye on her progress. After a few hours of intense pushing, he could see the baby's head.

"Link, you're doing fantastic! I can see our baby's head coming out!"

"Oh Goddesses, this hurts worse than any of it," Link cried, before screaming at the next contraction. Sheik did his best to comfort her, and Navi continued wiping her forehead to keep her cool.

"Link, the head's out!" Sheik reported after several strong contractions, and cheered Link on. The hardest part over, Link only had to push a few more times to free the baby's shoulders. After that, the baby slid right out.

"Oh, Link..." Sheik held the baby while Navi cut the cord, then handed the newborn to Link. "Say hello to your beautiful baby girl..."

"Baby..." Link cooed to the little child as she fussed in her arms, and turned smiling to Sheik. "We have a baby! Oh Sheik, she's so cute!" The little newborn shared their golden hair, and had Sheik's honey skin tone. When she opened her eyes, they were a deep indigo color.

"Look at that, her eyes are a cross between ours." Sheik wiped both Link and the baby clean, then nuzzled up next to them. "You did a wonderful job."

Link grinned at the compliment. "I couldn't have done it without you, you know. So what are we gonna call her?"

"It's a Sheikah tradition not to name the baby until she's at least half a year old," he answered. "Reason being that it gives you a little time to get to know her, but also because they say the evil spirits won't harm nameless children. Newborns are the most vulnerable, after all."

"That's smart," Link replied as she rubbed the baby's cheek. "We need to keep our little pumpkin safe, after all. Oh, oh look Sheik, I think she's hungry!"

The baby began to wiggle and pout, so Link hurried and opened her nightgown. "I hope I'm doing this right..." This was the part that worried Link the most, as she feared she wouldn't be able to properly nurse the baby because she wasn't very gifted like most women.

"It's okay, Link," Sheik reassured her, "the book said the baby will know what to do."

Link moved the baby into position, and sure enough she latched on and started feeding. Link's eyes widened as the baby fed, and she looked to Sheik with wonder on her face. "Oh, Sheik, it tickles! I... I can feel her numming on me. This is amazing!"

"She's got an amazing mother," he replied. When the baby was finished, Sheik swaddled her up and rocked her in his arms. "Go to sleep, Link. You've had enough excitement for today."

"Yeah, let her papa look after her," Navi chimed in. Yawning, Link took their advice and curled up in the clean bed by the window. She was asleep in minutes.

* * *

Barely a month after childbirth, Link was in bed rocking the baby when Sheik returned from Kakariko with some distressing news. "Sheik, you look pale. What's wrong?"

"Ganondorf's troops are starting to wonder where you are," he said with a grimace. "There were bulblin guards seen in the village over the last few days, checking the houses and asking questions. No one was hurt, but I'm afraid of where they'll travel next."

Link furrowed her brow. Looking at the baby, she came to a decision. "I can't let him find our baby. I'll go out to the Gerudo Valley tomorrow, and see if I can find the Sage of Spirit."

"What?!" Sheik shook his head in protest. "But Link, you are still too weak! You said so yourself, you get lightheaded whenever you stand up and there is still a little bleeding from the delivery. There is no way you are going to be able to ride a horse, especially one that has to jump across a broken bridge!"

"I'll ride Epona sidesaddle until I get to the valley, and I'll use the longshot I found in the Water Temple to cross the broken bridge," Link countered. "I'll be fine, Sheik. It shouldn't be that difficult figuring out which Gerudo is the sage. I just need to find the one who doesn't agree with Ganondorf's ideas."

Sheik reluctantly nodded, and laid down beside Link to comfort her. "I'm sorry, I just worry about you. I should be the one going out and searching for you, but I can't because I'm not the Hero of Time. You are. I put you in a precarious situation by getting you pregnant, and now you're running out to save everyone when you've barely healed... "

"No, Sheik, we did this together." Link laid the baby in Sheik's lap, and laced their fingers together over her little heart. "She's our future, and we need to fight for her. You've done all the work so far while I hid here, now it's my turn to get back out there and finish it."

"Okay, but you better hurry back." Sheik nudged the sleeping baby's cheek, before placing her back in Link's arms. "You two get some bonding time, I'm going to run out to the village for some supplies before you leave. That extra goat Malon gave you is going to come in handy, but we need baby bottles and a few other things or else I can't feed her."

" _You_ hurry back," Link urged, "so we can spend the rest of the night together as a family."


	11. Chapter 11

Link crept past a guard in the Gerudo Fortress as quietly as she could, which she had to admit was not the best sneak job she'd ever performed. Perhaps Sheik was right when he said she shouldn't have ridden Epona... Link's lower abdomen was hurting, and not even the bottle of potion she kept nursing would make the pain go away.

No time to whine, she told herself, as the entrance to the stronghold which she believed held the last carpenter came into view. Link waited until the guards patrolling nearby turned their backs, then when the coast was clear she sprinted the gap and dove inside.

If she had been paying attention, Link would have seen the blood droplets she left behind as she ducked behind a crate. Instead she currently focused on her hookshot as she waited for the guard she could hear approaching. Once said guard was in view, Link stunned her and ran down the hall, finally finding that damned carpenter.

"Are you here to rescue me?" the oaf asked as Link fumbled through picking the lock on his cage. She ignored him, her focus wavering from fatigue. She failed to hear his clumsy shouting, the guard dropping from the rafters, or even the shrill wail of Navi screaming in her ear to look out. All she saw was the blur of the room flying by as the Gerudo guard grabbed her and threw her against the opposite wall, knocking her out on impact.

* * *

As Link opened her eyes, she expected to see the ceiling of a jail cell, or worse, Ganondorf's castle. She didn't expect to see furs on the wall, or an insect canopy, or even soft pillows and the warm blanket covering her body. "...Nn?"

"I don't know what the hell you were thinking, but you better have a good explanation."

Link turned to see a Gerudo woman, maybe in her twenties or thirties, holding a bloody tunic. _Her_ tunic. She looked down and saw that she had been redressed into a loose sleeping gown, and that all her gear was gone. "What..."

"How long ago, a few weeks? A month?" The Gerudo rolled her eyes, before tossing the tunic away. "You should be at rest for at least two months, hell someone your age even longer, after giving birth. Where's the baby? Who's feeding it?"

Trying desperately to hide her reaction, Link mumbled, "I don't know what you mean."

"Now you're lying to me," the Gerudo scoffed. "We are a tribe of women. Don't you think we'd know what a girl who recently gave birth looks like? My nurse changed your clothes, and she saw how sore your breasts are. You are obviously still lactating, you don't get that way just because. And I can tell just by looking at you that your baby was feeding from you until recently. The buildup hurts, doesn't it?"

Link chewed her lip, it did hurt now that the baby stopped. "...What do you want from me?"

"I want to know what the hell you think you were doing, sneaking in here when you're obviously in no shape to be doing anything but resting." The Gerudo narrowed her eyes, and crossed her arms while waiting for an answer.

"Ask your king," Link snapped, on the verge of tears. "Quite frankly I rather _would_ be at home resting, but he hasn't left me much of a choice now, has he?!"

The Gerudo raised an eyebrow at the outburst, then unfolded her arms. "I suppose that is a fair statement. Lord Ganondorf has been quite, how should I say it, _concerned_ as to why the hero hasn't been seen lately. Though none of us ever thought the reason was because she got pregnant. The leading theory was that you had been maimed beyond repair." She then chuckled. "Why go to such lengths to hide your condition? You're female, it happens."

"Why?" Link looked at her in confusion. "Wouldn't _you_ want to protect your child? If he found out about her, she'd be a big freaking bullseye for all your boss's rage!" Link rolled over, away from the woman. "I don't care what happens to Hyrule, I care what happens to my baby. And there's no way I'm telling you where she is!"

The Gerudo smiled, then turned to a table at her hip. Link tensed as she heard the woman bend over to retrieve something, but relaxed when she realized it was only a warm washcloth. "...Now that's exactly the kind of answer I was hoping to hear."

Confused, Link squirmed as the woman attempted to wipe her forehead off.

"Hold still, I'm just trying to help you. You're sweating like a pig."

"...But why do this, why help me? Aren't you the enemy?"

Sitting on the edge of the bed, the woman sighed. "For starters, my name is Aveil. I am the second in command of the Gerudo Fortress, behind our leader Nabooru and our king, Lord Ganondorf. You are going to find as you go through life that things are not always what they seem, kid, and this is one of those times. We are not your enemy."

Aveil forced Link to drink down a cup of red potion, then stood and walked over to a sigil hanging on the wall. "Our law decrees that the one Gerudo male born every hundred years is automatically made king, and so we honor that law. However, we are smart enough to recognize madness when we see it, and we have known for some time that Lord Ganondorf is not acting in the best interests of our people. High Priestess Nabooru believes this, especially since Ganondorf's actions have caused harm to innocent women and children."

"High Priestess?"

"Nabooru is the keeper of the Spirit Temple," Aveil replied, making Link's eyes widen. "I'm guessing the reason you've come to our Valley is because you need her assistance for your quest. Don't act so surprised, we Gerudo know the Sheikah legends of the Triforce well. Nabooru has always known she is a sage, for we worship the Goddess of the Sand at that temple. The problem, however, is that Ganondorf's followers have invaded the temple and trapped Nabooru inside. No one has seen her for the last seven years."

Link frowned. It was exactly like Ganondorf to cut off the one sage he had personal access to. "Do you think she is still alive?"

Aveil nodded in reply. "We believe so, for the Goddess of the Sand would become very angry if he were to order Nabooru's death. The two also had a relationship at one point, so I believe he wouldn't have it in himself to kill her. But I wouldn't put it past him to brainwash her, and make her into some kind of puppet for his cause. Nabooru always was a strong woman, sometimes too strong..."

"How will I rescue her, then, if you don't think I'm ready?" Link sighed, realizing the difficulty of her quest had suddenly skyrocketed. "I take it that you won't tell Ganondorf I'm here or that I have a baby, given that you're so angry about what he's done to your High Priestess. But I can't take any more time to rest, he's been searching for me in Kakariko and if I don't make it known that I'm back on the quest again, I just know he'll start looking in places I don't want him to!"

"Calm down, kid." Aveil shook her head, before going over to Link's equipment in the corner. "Some of this stuff isn't necessary anymore, right? Like this hookshot, you have two of them. And this shield..."

"HEY, I need my shield!"

"Easy, there," Aveil explained. "We'll send an alert to the king that we had someone snooping around and releasing our prisoners, and when we tried to apprehend them, they got away while leaving these things behind. He'll realize it was you because I'll send your hat with them. That way he'll know you're out on the job again. In the mean time, you go back home and rest for another month. I hate to keep a newborn baby from its mother. Nabooru survived this long, she can wait a little longer."

This time it was Link's turn to roll her eyes. "And how do we know he'll buy it?"

"Because I'm giving you these before you go." Aveil then pulled a trunk out from under the bed, and opened it to reveal a pair of silver braced gauntlets and a mirror faced shield. "He'll go nuts when he finds out you stole these from the Spirit Temple."

Link's jaw practically dropped as she gazed into the reflection of the mirror shield. "What an amazing artifact..."

"It is, isn't it?" Aveil chuckled. "Nabooru and I are the only ones who knew where this shield was kept in the temple, and once we found out Ganondorf was storming Hyrule Castle, she took these two relics and had me hide them in case he did something wicked. I want you to take them, then that way you won't need to trudge through the temple in search of them. The magic of Ganondorf's witches is very powerful, and you will need this shield to protect yourself from it."

Link nodded as Aveil packed her things away, before a thought occurred to her. "Aveil, where's Navi?! My fairy? You didn't hurt her, did you?" She had been so concerned about herself and the baby that she forgot all about the poor thing.

"Why would I hurt a fairy?" Aveil scowled. "I sent your fairy with that last carpenter and instructed her to have them rebuild the bridge over the gorge," she replied. "Once I realized who you were, and the condition you were in, there was no longer any point for hostilities. She will come back once they finish their work, I'm sure. That or she's scared and is hiding in their tent while waiting for you."

"Oh." Link watched as Aveil rummaged through what looked like a clothing trunk, and saw her pull out some unusual looking pieces that resembled holsters. "...What are you doing?"

Aveil snorted. "You clearly don't have any women helping you out, so I'm looking for some brassieres that might fit you. You'll need them since you'll be taking a break from breast feeding to rescue Nabooru. You don't necessarily need to wear one while you're resting or while you're actively nursing, but whenever you stop, you're going to swell up and then you'll definitely need the support. I'm also going to give you some underclothes that you can use to collect the bleeding until that stops."

"What's a brassiere?"

Aveil looked up in disbelief to see Link staring at her. "You're kidding. You don't know what this is? Great Goddess of the Sand, you and I have a lot of girl-to-girl talking to do. How did you even get pregnant in the first place? I'll bet some boy tricked you into sex."

Embarrassed, Link mumbled 'thank you for your help' and ducked further under the covers.


End file.
